Not My Meemaw's Collard Greens
My grandmothers basic collard greens, but jazzed up with some spice and heat.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 153kcal
Equipment
- 4+ qt Dutch oven or stock pot
Ingredients
- ¼ lb thick-cut bacon diced
- 1 lb collard greens washed, stemmed, and chopped
- 1 med onion peeled and diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 8oz jar piquillo peppers diced, juice reserved
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups ham stock or chicken stock, veggie stock, or water
Instructions
- Put your diced bacon in a 4-5 qt stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat and cook until the bacon bits are crispy and you've rendered out as much fat as possible.1/4 lb thick-cut bacon
- Remove the bacon bits and set them aside.
- Add the onion to the pot and turn up the heat slightly. Cook the onion until it becomes translucent and then starts to brown and caramelize a little.1 med onion
- Add in the garlic and give it a quick stir for 2-3 minutes.3-4 cloves garlic
- Add the collard greens. The greens will fill the pot entirely, but keep tossing and stirring them until they're well coated with the oil in the pot, mixed with the onion and garlic, and starting to soften and turn a deeper green.1 lb collard greens
- Once the collards have started to wilt down a little, maybe 5 mins, add the piquillo peppers with their juice, the diced tomatoes and juice, and the vinegar.1 8oz jar piquillo peppers, 1 15oz can diced tomatoes, 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Finally add enough stock or other liquid to come to about halfway up the level of the greens - around 4 cups. Keep in mind that the greens will shrink as they cook and you don't want too much liquid.4 cups ham stock
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the greens stirring occasionally, for around 4 hours, minimum. You want them to be tender but not mushy.
- Serve with bacon bits sprinkled over the top or with a dash of pepper vinegar.
Notes
Note: You can make this recipe vegetarian by eliminating the bacon and sauteing the onion, garlic, and greens in whatever neutral oil you prefer. Replace the ham or chicken stock with vegetable stock or even plain water.
To bump up the umami flavor, add a heaping tbsp of white miso to the pot and make sure it get thoroughly stirred into the liquor. You can also add a few dashes of liquid aminos to the pot.